We has fans have watched Danny Granger struggle in the early part of this season. For the past couple of seasons we have also seen our fair share of the "trade Granger for ______" (filling in the blank with the likes of Al Jefferson, Nick Young, Kevin Love, and others.) The time for this talk is over and here is why.

Continue reading this post »

I have been watching the Pacers since I was little and watched Reggie Miller light it up in the playoffs, year after year. This being the first year in four that the Pacers have a legitimate chance of competing in the playoffs, I keep wondering if they have the tools to make a deep playoff run. That being said I hated former head coach Jim O'Brien. He had a one-man-show of running things. He did not delegate to his assistants, he had a horrible rotation where players weren’t sure of their roles, and he was not the person to instill confidence in his players. Since current head coach Vogel took over and the Pacers made their push in the standings and are in the playoff picture with the opportunity to move up, we are finally beating the teams we are supposed to beat. The sub-par teams if you will. We were competitive for the most part against Miami and each game went down to the wire forcing the elite players for the Heat to step up their game late.

Vogel is the quintessential coach the Pacers franchise needs right now. Despite being a former assistant under O’Brien and having coached under O’Brien and Rick Pitino, he does the right things for the team at the right time. He inspires confidence in his players, he keeps a set 10-man rotation where guys know their roles, and he delegates not only to his assistants but to his players, allowing them the chance to input on the teams progress.

What’s more is the fact this is the same roster that was available to O'Brien that Larry "Legend" Bird put together. The talent was always there, Vogel just knows how to get the best out of it. Production from each player that as seen minutes this season is up, statistically anyway, and the win column is reflective of that.

Build though the draft, solid trades, and free-agent signings that is what the Indianapolis Colts do, and the Pacers are trying the same thing. Signing a guy like Dahntay Jones who saw only a handful of minutes this season under O’Brien despite getting a $4.5 million a year contract last season for 3 years has seen the minutes from Vogel and has responded. After appearing in only a handful of games prior to February, Jones has played in nine this month and is shooting 58 percent from the field and scoring nine points per game, including a season high performance of 18 points against the New Jersey Nets.

"It's nothing I'm doing, it's our guys, they understand how good they are," Interim Pacers coach Frank Vogel said, "They understand how good they can be this year, right now. We have a good basketball team."

Vogel is pushing the right buttons with his team that now sitting as the eighth seed in the playoff picture for the Eastern Conference with a chance of moving up.

Alot of Indiana Pacers fans though have been hopeful for a trade according to the SB Nation Fan Blog, Indy Cornrows. Most of the Fan Posts titles are ‘Pull the Trigger Mr. Brid with Nets’, ‘Looking for options…’, ‘Tayshaun a fit with Pacers?’. They want to see a trade pulled off because they have this random idea that they are a piece away. Which surprises me from fans that have spent a great day of time watching how the Indianapolis Colts build their roster, build though the draft, solid trades, and free-agent signings that is what the Indianapolis Colts do, and the Pacers are trying the same thing.

One of the great things the Colts do so well is they tailor players that fit their system. The Pacers have done just that. And they are also giving them the ability to develop and showcase their talents. The off-season trade of Troy Murphy for second year point guard Darren Collison and savvy veteran small forward James Posey was a great move by Bird. He got rid of Murphy’s horrendously large contract and got two players; one who is their point guard of the future, and one who is a veteran with rings that knows how to win in the play-offs and can help the young guns of the Pacers in the playoffs with that experience.

While the pacers have some pieces like T.J. Ford, Soloman Jones, and Mike Dunleavy who are all viewed has trade fodder by many Pacers fans, they all have something to offer the team in the Playoffs.

TJ Ford just will never be the player he was with Bucks again. He was a great college player and is still a solid role-player. But I would take A.J. "Fearless" Price any day of the week. Ford has taken the move to the bench like a true professional. He will be a great piece elsewhere if the Pacers trade or buy-out his contract.

Soloman Jones was just a player that didn't have much ceiling space and did not raise the bar when given the minutes. He could still be a decent back-up but not here in Indy.

Dunleavy, who by-the-way under Vogel has been lights out from beyond the 3-point line, I would still consider a trade for. He is a professional, well-respected pro, who goes about his business. I think his defense is not has horrible as some make it out to be. But he is a valuable trade piece that would open up starter space for a guy like George.

What makes the Colts special is that next-man up demeanor, and their ability to get what they need from undrafted, late-round draft picks, and small-time free agency. Bird as taken that approach and made it into a team that under Vogel is very scary and VERY DEEP. 40.6 points per game deep under Vogel. Under JOB it was 29.63. People know and understand their roles. Something that was lacking under O'Brien.

The old saying "Don’t fix what isn't broken" to me applies to this team. They are playing good ball. Don't mess that up. Come playoff time this team may have climbed its way up to a 6th seed and can be a formidable come playoff time when a lot of our veterans like James Posey are well rested and can contributed. This team can be scary good. So let’s stop with the "TRADE WITH THE NETS! Go and get another Power forward! We need to trade Granger!" headlines, because the bottom line. The Pacers aren't hurting, and are in fact in the best position you could possibly ask this team to be. Very deep, young, in the playoff chase, and hungry.

For the past four years, the New York Knicks may have circumvented NBA draft rules by conducting secret workouts of collegiate players throughout gymnasiums in suburban Atlanta, Yahoo! Sports has found.

Knicks director of East Coast scouting Rodney Heard coordinated and conducted the sessions, three players who were involved in some of the workouts told Yahoo! Sports – including one May 2007 session that resulted in a devastating knee injury to Kansas All-American Brandon Rush(notes). A tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in Rush’s right knee forced him to withdraw from the 2007 draft and required surgery plus six months of rehabilitation.

Continue reading this post »

Jim O'Brien calling forward Josh McRobert's career high against the Los Angeles Lakers  'irrelevant' is complete bull. With the fourth worst record in the NBA, and JOBs career coaching percentage going down hill, it is time for changes. I don't feel like Larry Bird has done a lot wrong in the GM spot. Until now. You can't sit here and tell me JOB being on the bench anymore is a good thing for the Pacers. You just cant. Im dying to see what Lester Conner can do. I saw what he did when they played Toronto earlier this season. The team played better, like a team. Obviously Solomon Jones probably got suspended critizing JOB in some form or fashion. The team has tuned him out. And if he was a decent coach he would recognize to stop trying to force 'his' system on this team when the pieces aren't there to run that system. This isn't AAU or high school. This is the fricking NBA, you get your team to play a system that benefits them, and this system doesn't. McBob played a great game for what I saw in the first half. Price has been a bright spot where few are to found this season. While the hell is Ford even back? Against the Bulls TJ had 3 of the 8 turnovers in the first half! Dunleavy has been off all season, not to his discomfort, he had a coach that threw him in the fire after coming back and its no surprise he has no legs now because his minute limit was gone over time and time again . Time and time again this team doesn't play to what could possibly be its strengths. JOB seems intent on trying to win-out the rest of the season instead of taking the talent they have and developing them. Let me see some Price, let me see what Hibbert can do working inside out and see if that gets DG33 some decent, unforced looks. The team has tuned him out, the fans have tuned him out. I've been booing every time during the pregame introductions when O'Brien is called since January..and I am not the only one. Wake up Bird. You job is becoming on the line over JOBs JOB! I've started saying it, I could coach this team better than him.

I am a Troy Murphy fan. Be one of the first to admit it. A big man who shoots the 3. Sounds a lot like one of my favorite players named Dirk. Not to mention, boy can rebound. Gets 9 per game..adding 13 points and a +19.12 efficency rating. Last year averaged a double double with 14 points and close to 12 rebounds per game. Not to mention the 45% he shot from 3 last season. He is the The only player in NBA history to rank among the league's top five in both rebounding average and 3-pt field goal percentage, he was second in rebounding with a team single season record 11.8 rpg and he was third with a mark of 45.0 percent from beyond the 3-pt line. But at what cost? $11.05 million this year and $11.97 next year? Hefty contract for a 29 year old. He still has good years left I don't doubt that. But look at this fact...this season the Pacers are 7-3 without Murphy in the lineup and a hefty 4-21 with him. In the last five games without Murphy the Pacers help opponents to a 91.2 average. In the last five with him, 107.2. Murph does hustle though and gives it his all. But is he a defensive liability? (Disclaimer on this next stat; I took it using the "suggestive power forward" in any given game, does not mean he was directly matched up against that person most of the game) Starting opponents power forwards are averaging  17.5 points on the Pacers when he is playing. Without him is 14.2. Of course this doesn't take into account the level of contribution from a player on a given night. He is also the worst on the team in terms of plus minus with -227. Personally if any team like the Cavaliers want Murphy I say get what you can in return for him like a JJ Hickson and a draft pick and move on with that type of money off the books and give the young guys like McRoberts and Hansbrough who have fared very well this season in minutes played. It should also be noted that Murphy has had a negative impact on the dominance that could be Roy Hibbert. When you look at Roy point production with Murph in the lineup, Roy is averaging 8.6 points per game and without him is averaging 14.8 points per game. Same thing when you look at the rebounding averages. With Murph "Big Boy Roy" grabs 4.8 boards per game. Without him he becomes "Hungry Hungry Hibbert" and grabs 7.9.

[From the FanPosts: I asked for some potential solutions to the Pacers problems and JP knocked it out of the park including some supporting evidence for his coaching options. My quibble with the trade option is that I think the Knicks like Gallinari too much to make that deal. He seems to be a great fit with D'Antoni in the Garden.]

The Pacers have recently been left to scratch their heads. When a team and more importantly an organization is scratching their head its even worse for the fans. The Pacers (9-20) have lost six in a row overall and five straight on the road heading into Tuesday's game with the Bulls in Chicago. It looked like at first during a recent road trip, head coach Jim O’Brien might have stuck gold making the switch of guards Earl Watson and Dahntay Jones to the starting line-up. It worked very well for a couple of games but recently, the starting lineup has been outscored 160-61 in the last two and 471-280 in the six-game losing streak. Then bench gained dominate fire-power over the same stretch that had guard T.J. Ford and Luther Head showing more impressive showings off the bench. But for a team that has lots of young talent and is very deep, the Pacers have began to settle for mediocrity.

Solutions after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

via www.nba.com

The biggest concern I have with the Pacers thus far this is season is simple. We have a starting point guard that is averaging only 2.7 assists per game. This has far as I am concerned is unacceptable. It has by far been the reason that our offense has become so stagnant in the fourth quarter against the Knicks and Cavs. For the season Ford is -3 in plus-minus. I am not discounting his ability to create a shot for himself, scoring close to 10 points per game is fine, but shooting 0-7 from beyond the arc on the year is not acceptable.If your shot is not falling from the outside, drive to the lane and create, and Ford realizes this. But what he does consistently that does put added pressure on him and the Pacers, is gets hung up in the air and has no escape plan. He does not see the court when he does this but doesn't draw the foul either. Ford has the ability, I will not doubt that. Averged 5.3 assists last year, back in Toronto one year he average near 8 assists per game in 06-07. So the question is what is different? The Pacers have good solid players around Ford. Granger, Rush, Murphy, Hibbert, and Hansbourgh, not to mention the surprise of the year Dahntay Jones; who is having a career year. Why are the assists down? Is Ford not the point guard that Pacers should be starting? Diener is out now 4-6 weeks, Watson is a solid option but has averaged more minutes per game but the same amount of assists per game. Price is a future point guard but isn't the current option. The only option that is truly there is that it is time Ford realized his best contribution to this team is to be the floor general he is capable of being, creating opportunities for his teammates and passing the ball more.